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So Rich, So Poor: Why It's So Hard to End Poverty in America
Income disparities in our wealthy nation are now wider than at any point since the Great Depression. The structure of today’s economy has stultified wage growth for half of America’s workers—with even worse results at the bottom and for people of color—while bestowing billions on those at the top.
In this “accessible and inspiring analysis” (Angela Glover Blackwell), lifelong anti–poverty advocate Peter Edelman assesses how the United States can have such an outsized number of unemployed and working poor despite important policy gains. He delves into what is happening to the people behind the statistics and takes a particular look at young people of color for whom the possibility of productive lives is too often lost on the way to adulthood. In a timely new introduction, Edelman discusses the significance of Obama’s reelection—including the rediscovery of the word “poverty”—as well as the continuing attack on the poor from the right.
“Engaging and informative” (William Julius Wilson), “powerful and eloquent” (Wade Henderson), “a national treasure composed by a wise man” (George McGovern), and “a great source for summaries of our country’s antipoverty program” (Publishers Weekly), So Rich, So Poor is crucial reading for anyone who wants to understand the most critical American dilemma of the twenty-first century.
In this “accessible and inspiring analysis” (Angela Glover Blackwell), lifelong anti–poverty advocate Peter Edelman assesses how the United States can have such an outsized number of unemployed and working poor despite important policy gains. He delves into what is happening to the people behind the statistics and takes a particular look at young people of color for whom the possibility of productive lives is too often lost on the way to adulthood. In a timely new introduction, Edelman discusses the significance of Obama’s reelection—including the rediscovery of the word “poverty”—as well as the continuing attack on the poor from the right.
“Engaging and informative” (William Julius Wilson), “powerful and eloquent” (Wade Henderson), “a national treasure composed by a wise man” (George McGovern), and “a great source for summaries of our country’s antipoverty program” (Publishers Weekly), So Rich, So Poor is crucial reading for anyone who wants to understand the most critical American dilemma of the twenty-first century.
208 pages, Paperback
First published April 24, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
January 7, 2013
If you know absolutely nothing about poverty and are not bothered too much by poorly research political and historical texts, this is a good overview of the history of poverty in the United States (mostly 1960s through 1990s).
What do I mean by poorly researched? Most of Edelman's support for his assertions comes from newspaper articles or his own personal impressions from working as a youth for Robert Kennedy for a short period while Kennedy was heavily involved in reforming food stamps. While newspapers are not an illegitimate source, especially well respected newspapers, it still indicates that Edelman is content to rely on someone else's interpretation of data and facts rather than his own. In cases where it's impractical or impossible to get the data himself, I find that acceptable. But in this case, a simple public records act request would get him the same raw data the newspaper journalist had. Regarding his personal experience "evidence" - the problem with having "been there" is that you have a natural bias to your experiences are some how objective and truth rather than the highly subjective and very limited view of a single person. Edelman demonstrates keep lack of awareness of how limited his view of those event is by making broad, sweeping statements about the intentions and motivations of other politicians that he has absolutely no ability to support. If you're going to try to win me over to a point of view on an important political and social issue, I need to believe you are trustworthy. With such biased and unsupported statements, it's hard for me to feel confident that his other statements are accurate.
That being said, this book does walk through some major historical moments in this country's intermittent efforts to address poverty including the history of food stamps and the evolution of the "poverty line" calculation. However, these discussions are very high-level and provide little to know understanding beyond what an mildly aware person would know or be able to easily surmise. Furthermore, his discussions are highly repetitive. While repetition is the path to committing information to long-term memory, it's only really required when you are either addressing someone who is not paying attention or not too bright, or you are communicating complex or detailed information. Since he provides no detail or complexity, I can only assume he thinks I'm dumb or he acknowledges that his writing style has a tendency to make his readers' minds wander.
What do I mean by poorly researched? Most of Edelman's support for his assertions comes from newspaper articles or his own personal impressions from working as a youth for Robert Kennedy for a short period while Kennedy was heavily involved in reforming food stamps. While newspapers are not an illegitimate source, especially well respected newspapers, it still indicates that Edelman is content to rely on someone else's interpretation of data and facts rather than his own. In cases where it's impractical or impossible to get the data himself, I find that acceptable. But in this case, a simple public records act request would get him the same raw data the newspaper journalist had. Regarding his personal experience "evidence" - the problem with having "been there" is that you have a natural bias to your experiences are some how objective and truth rather than the highly subjective and very limited view of a single person. Edelman demonstrates keep lack of awareness of how limited his view of those event is by making broad, sweeping statements about the intentions and motivations of other politicians that he has absolutely no ability to support. If you're going to try to win me over to a point of view on an important political and social issue, I need to believe you are trustworthy. With such biased and unsupported statements, it's hard for me to feel confident that his other statements are accurate.
That being said, this book does walk through some major historical moments in this country's intermittent efforts to address poverty including the history of food stamps and the evolution of the "poverty line" calculation. However, these discussions are very high-level and provide little to know understanding beyond what an mildly aware person would know or be able to easily surmise. Furthermore, his discussions are highly repetitive. While repetition is the path to committing information to long-term memory, it's only really required when you are either addressing someone who is not paying attention or not too bright, or you are communicating complex or detailed information. Since he provides no detail or complexity, I can only assume he thinks I'm dumb or he acknowledges that his writing style has a tendency to make his readers' minds wander.
August 11, 2020
Edelman is the 6 year old who was told by mommy he is so smart. So if there is money out there, he just happen to know what to do with it all.
August 10, 2020
Unfortunately for this book, I read it after reading Poverty and Power. P&P is a great book which lays out clearly and comprehensively the structural causes of poverty (as well as refuting some of the more popular understandings of poverty). So Rich, So Poor is incredibly mediocre in comparison. It reads like a collection of thoughts; while it does give some important pieces of information, as well as indicating some of the potential solutions of poverty, it felt quite haphazard. It definitely feels like Edelman is skating by on his first hand-experience and expecting that to give credence to what he has to say. First hand experience is of course important, but you cannot substitute it for a more organized understanding.
I'm glad I read this, since I did learn valuable information from it - the impact of welfare programs and of TANF comes to mind.
I'm glad I read this, since I did learn valuable information from it - the impact of welfare programs and of TANF comes to mind.
September 17, 2012
the author is too conversational about the knowledge he has lived. It is hard for the reader to catch up with his asides and follow the sentences through. Needs an editor.
Read
June 29, 2020So Rich, So Poor -Why It’s So Hard To End Poverty In America, by Peter Edelman. The author writes about his admiration in working for Robert Kennedy, and famously resigned in protest after Clinton signed the 1996 welfare reform legislation. This is where money is diverted from general assistance programs like TANF, especially state funded welfare, and food assistance had increased tenfold. ‘SNAP the success story’ has states benefitting from doing outreach to get people signed up for food assistance and off cash assistance. And we wonder how it is fair that we AmeriCorps get food stamps and the single working mother struggles to raise her family?
While it should be obvious the biggest recipients of welfare came during the Bush era of Tax Credits for billions of profits for corporations. The top shareholders benefited and continue to, while many of those credits are still in place. In 1979 the top 1% took in 9% of all personal income. In 2007, that figure skyrocketed to 23.5%. The middle class has squeezed out its members. The rich become richer, the poor become poorer. The type of poverty people live in much more severe than 40 years ago. The vulnerable population is at risk. And 7 years later in the great recession of 2008, the jobs returning are both highly paid and scarce, or plentiful in number with low wages that are impossible to live on.
“A long as middle-income voters think they have more in common with the people at the top than the people at the bottom, we are cooked.”
In conclusion, we have to continue to participate and be active in working on these issues. Repealing the Bush tax cuts has to be the first place to start. This book is valuable for a CTEP when working with clients in poverty. Of course teaching things like North Star will help with job search, and finding a better paying job. We can provide the technology resources to apply for food assistance programs, or find food shelf’s in the neighborhood. But at that rate we will continue to separate the wealth and the poverty in the United States. We must become vocal about a serious level of change that needs to happen in order to support an infrastructure of actual growth in this county.
While it should be obvious the biggest recipients of welfare came during the Bush era of Tax Credits for billions of profits for corporations. The top shareholders benefited and continue to, while many of those credits are still in place. In 1979 the top 1% took in 9% of all personal income. In 2007, that figure skyrocketed to 23.5%. The middle class has squeezed out its members. The rich become richer, the poor become poorer. The type of poverty people live in much more severe than 40 years ago. The vulnerable population is at risk. And 7 years later in the great recession of 2008, the jobs returning are both highly paid and scarce, or plentiful in number with low wages that are impossible to live on.
“A long as middle-income voters think they have more in common with the people at the top than the people at the bottom, we are cooked.”
In conclusion, we have to continue to participate and be active in working on these issues. Repealing the Bush tax cuts has to be the first place to start. This book is valuable for a CTEP when working with clients in poverty. Of course teaching things like North Star will help with job search, and finding a better paying job. We can provide the technology resources to apply for food assistance programs, or find food shelf’s in the neighborhood. But at that rate we will continue to separate the wealth and the poverty in the United States. We must become vocal about a serious level of change that needs to happen in order to support an infrastructure of actual growth in this county.
June 2, 2025
The major themes in So Rich, So Poor by Peter Edelman explore the complexities of poverty and inequality in America, focusing on how the country can have so much wealth while facing such widespread poverty. The book examines the structural factors contributing to poverty, including the decline of good-paying jobs, the rise of low-wage work, the increasing number of single-parent families, and the persistent impact of race and gender. It also delves into the human cost of poverty, particularly for young people of color, and calls for action to address these issues.
The Rise of Income Inequality:
Edelman highlights the widening gap between the wealthy and the rest of the population, arguing that the structure of the economy has stifled wage growth for half of America's workers.
The Impact of Low-Wage Work:
The book emphasizes the prevalence of low-wage jobs and how they trap many people in a cycle of poverty and dependence on assistance programs.
The Role of Social Factors:
Edelman examines the impact of single-parent families, race, and gender on poverty rates, highlighting the disparities in opportunity and outcome.
The Human Cost of Poverty:
The book focuses on the lives of individuals and families struggling with poverty, particularly the challenges faced by young people of color and their future prospects.
Solutions and Policy Recommendations:
Edelman advocates for a range of policy solutions, including increasing wages, improving communities, and returning to cash assistance programs, to address poverty and inequality.
The Need for Collective Action:
Edelman argues that addressing poverty requires a collective effort to improve economic opportunities, address social injustices, and invest in the future.
The Rise of Income Inequality:
Edelman highlights the widening gap between the wealthy and the rest of the population, arguing that the structure of the economy has stifled wage growth for half of America's workers.
The Impact of Low-Wage Work:
The book emphasizes the prevalence of low-wage jobs and how they trap many people in a cycle of poverty and dependence on assistance programs.
The Role of Social Factors:
Edelman examines the impact of single-parent families, race, and gender on poverty rates, highlighting the disparities in opportunity and outcome.
The Human Cost of Poverty:
The book focuses on the lives of individuals and families struggling with poverty, particularly the challenges faced by young people of color and their future prospects.
Solutions and Policy Recommendations:
Edelman advocates for a range of policy solutions, including increasing wages, improving communities, and returning to cash assistance programs, to address poverty and inequality.
The Need for Collective Action:
Edelman argues that addressing poverty requires a collective effort to improve economic opportunities, address social injustices, and invest in the future.
October 11, 2022
Excellent writing! Succinct and well researched, with frequent ability to relate a personal connection to development of anti-poverty measures after a career in public policy. Prior to reading I was familiar with the work of his wife (Marian Wright Edelman of Children’s Defense Fund) but not Peter.
The observations made in the conclusion (written in 2011, as the nation was emerging slowly from the 2008 recession) chilled me:
“In a way we have not seen since the Great Depression, the rich and the powerful are adding every day to the bricks that make up the wall of their separation from everyone else. . . . We should not kid ourselves. There is no inevitability to things remaining even as good as they are now. The wealth and income of the top 1 percent grows at the expense of everyone else. Money breeds power, and power breeds more money. It is a truly vicious circle.”
He ends on an optimistic note, believing that we, the people, still have collective power to make things better. And I look for signs he might be right: the union movement to improve working conditions and hold employers accountable for bad practices; the voices of younger people speaking out against racism and other forms of injustice; the recognition of many middle class people during the pandemic that “essential workers” laid their lives and their families’ lives on the line for all of us. I hope for a better world, but this book brought home the truth that “hope is not a strategy.”
The observations made in the conclusion (written in 2011, as the nation was emerging slowly from the 2008 recession) chilled me:
“In a way we have not seen since the Great Depression, the rich and the powerful are adding every day to the bricks that make up the wall of their separation from everyone else. . . . We should not kid ourselves. There is no inevitability to things remaining even as good as they are now. The wealth and income of the top 1 percent grows at the expense of everyone else. Money breeds power, and power breeds more money. It is a truly vicious circle.”
He ends on an optimistic note, believing that we, the people, still have collective power to make things better. And I look for signs he might be right: the union movement to improve working conditions and hold employers accountable for bad practices; the voices of younger people speaking out against racism and other forms of injustice; the recognition of many middle class people during the pandemic that “essential workers” laid their lives and their families’ lives on the line for all of us. I hope for a better world, but this book brought home the truth that “hope is not a strategy.”
March 7, 2018
Edelman's text was not a difficult read, and provided anecdotal pieces as well as a lot of his own understanding of contemporary social policy. As someone without expertise in such an area, I appreciated that he identified a few key policies to note and communicated thoughts and jargon quite clearly.
I actually found it a bit difficult to follow the organization of this book, in regards to both how chapters are organized among themselves and the content of each chapter. However, I must note that I did not consistently read it over the past few months- just something I picked up from time to time. It's not utterly comprehensive, but I suppose it is a nice nuanced introduction into the field.
I actually found it a bit difficult to follow the organization of this book, in regards to both how chapters are organized among themselves and the content of each chapter. However, I must note that I did not consistently read it over the past few months- just something I picked up from time to time. It's not utterly comprehensive, but I suppose it is a nice nuanced introduction into the field.
July 26, 2021
DNF, and I absolutely always finish books, so this was incredibly painful.
If you were looking for a book that uses opinion without substantiated facts, speaks in a matter-of-fact manner for ideas that are not inherently fact, and actively uses newspaper interpretations of data without doing their own work, this is the book for you. As well, Edelman often speaks in tangents and jumps from ideas to idea without connecting the dots making it very hard to follow.
I wish I could give this book zero stars, very disappointing.
If you were looking for a book that uses opinion without substantiated facts, speaks in a matter-of-fact manner for ideas that are not inherently fact, and actively uses newspaper interpretations of data without doing their own work, this is the book for you. As well, Edelman often speaks in tangents and jumps from ideas to idea without connecting the dots making it very hard to follow.
I wish I could give this book zero stars, very disappointing.
Read
August 19, 2024A clear sighted recommendation dealing with poverty. Many ideas. My copy was from 2012 so dated.
Clear U.S. govt. is not very keen on helping poverty folk though freely gives tax breaks and advantages to the upper !% and upper 5%. Why they think those people need more money caters to the
selfishness of the rich and the dream of the middle class that they will be that rich soon.
Clear U.S. govt. is not very keen on helping poverty folk though freely gives tax breaks and advantages to the upper !% and upper 5%. Why they think those people need more money caters to the
selfishness of the rich and the dream of the middle class that they will be that rich soon.
December 15, 2018
Whoa. Enlightening. Disheartening. Encouraging. We've got a lot of work to do to address poverty. Makes me feel both hopeless and hopeful.
June 7, 2023
This book was likely more useful and potentially influential in the immediate period after it was written (2012-ish).
March 29, 2015
The strength of this book is Edelman's historical summary of the U.S. government's attempts to help the poor. He begins with Roosevelt's New Deal but the majority of the book focuses on 1960's-1990's. I became familiar with how the welfare system was cut during the Reagan administration and how it was completely dismantled in 1996 when Clinton was in office. But even though welfare as an entitlement no longer existed, the poor received assistance from SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance which was formerly called food stamps) and TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families which was formerly an entitlement program called AFCD or Aid to Families with Dependent Children). I realized that families also were also supported through CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Program), EITC (Earned Income Tax Credit), and CTC (Child Tax Credit).
Though there were statistics and facts to illustrate the number of people living in poverty and the percentage of Americans living below the poverty line at various times in history, I thought too much of the analysis was biased opinion. For example, when talking about education reform, he states that charter schools and Teach for America are positive steps but he doesn't cite any studies or research to support his opinion. Then the reader learns that one of his sons was a principal as a charter school and now works for the GATES foundation and another son runs STAND for Children, an advocacy force for school reform. Hmm - I detect bias here and it made me question some of the author's other conclusions.
This book mostly focused on inner city poverty. I would have been interested to hear more about poverty on reservations, rural poverty, veterans issues, and poverty due to mental illness. It seems that the solutions would be different and that perhaps many of the above programs might not provide relief for these subgroups.
Though there were statistics and facts to illustrate the number of people living in poverty and the percentage of Americans living below the poverty line at various times in history, I thought too much of the analysis was biased opinion. For example, when talking about education reform, he states that charter schools and Teach for America are positive steps but he doesn't cite any studies or research to support his opinion. Then the reader learns that one of his sons was a principal as a charter school and now works for the GATES foundation and another son runs STAND for Children, an advocacy force for school reform. Hmm - I detect bias here and it made me question some of the author's other conclusions.
This book mostly focused on inner city poverty. I would have been interested to hear more about poverty on reservations, rural poverty, veterans issues, and poverty due to mental illness. It seems that the solutions would be different and that perhaps many of the above programs might not provide relief for these subgroups.
January 19, 2017
How can you not enjoy this delightful little nugget of a book? Edelman writes as an elder statesman, reflecting on his decades of experience in anti-poverty work. This is a knowing, plain spoken account from the front lines of the War on Poverty and beyond.
Some thoughts:
1) Edelman's approach isn't for everyone. A previous reviewer here on Goodreads noted that Edelman seems to select his best practices at random. I don't believe that's the case. He simply highlights the good work of those close to him. The book isn't light on data—the appendix's many Urban Institute citations makes this clear—but it is a more colloquial scan of the field.
2) I'd recommend that those who had trouble following "So Rich, So Poor," take a deep dive on any of the issues herein that piqued their interest. Any of Edelman's sentences could be (and likely already is) the thesis statement for a full, 400 page book.
3) The framing of the book is a bit odd—and sadly, even dated—just a few years after its publication. Why write two hundred pages on policy and program development, then situate the book in terms of mass movements like Occupy?
All in all, this is a worthwhile read, both as an introduction for novices and as a pithy reflection for the well versed.
Some thoughts:
1) Edelman's approach isn't for everyone. A previous reviewer here on Goodreads noted that Edelman seems to select his best practices at random. I don't believe that's the case. He simply highlights the good work of those close to him. The book isn't light on data—the appendix's many Urban Institute citations makes this clear—but it is a more colloquial scan of the field.
2) I'd recommend that those who had trouble following "So Rich, So Poor," take a deep dive on any of the issues herein that piqued their interest. Any of Edelman's sentences could be (and likely already is) the thesis statement for a full, 400 page book.
3) The framing of the book is a bit odd—and sadly, even dated—just a few years after its publication. Why write two hundred pages on policy and program development, then situate the book in terms of mass movements like Occupy?
All in all, this is a worthwhile read, both as an introduction for novices and as a pithy reflection for the well versed.
November 30, 2012
This is a surprising book, it's almost a biography of the fight against poverty in this country, told by someone who's been through a good part of it. Edelman does an excellent job using facts and figures to paint a none too pretty picture of poverty in the United States from the late 1960s to the present day (approximately 2010). Even if you don't agree with his proposed solutions, Edelman does a a great job of portraying the scope of the problem in a very human way. Numbers and statistics are provided to back everything up and it would be very easy for the book to rely so heavily on numbers that it becomes easy for the reader to forget that these are real people, but Edelman does a great job of keeping things grounded, and keeping the human element at the center.
December 7, 2012
This book did a good job of describing the problem of poverty in America and expressing the author's nostalgia for Bobby Kennedy. He makes the excellent point that the elderly are in poverty in far fewer numbers than families with children (because the elderly vote and children can't). The great recession disproportionally hurt minorities and families with children. He also highlights that low wage jobs have proliferated in the last 40 years as a proportion of available jobs.
The solutions he puts forth to the ongoing, entrenched poverty in our nation didn't feel realistic, especially in the current political climate.
The solutions he puts forth to the ongoing, entrenched poverty in our nation didn't feel realistic, especially in the current political climate.
May 2, 2013
Definitely a worthwhile read and makes some critical points; I'm only giving it three stars because I think Edelman still falls into that progressive liberal trap that doesn't question very basic ideas that have been ingrained in our (mis)understanding of society, like the horror (the horror!) of unmarried motherhood...I just wish honest critical thinking wasn't hampered by a need to appeal to so-called moderates that have bought in to enough capitalist propaganda to immediately throw out anything that doesn't mesh with their current, essentialist understanding of states and economies.
December 29, 2014
An incredibly helpful historical review of the economics and social drivers of current public assistance programs. I have a better understanding of the reasons why things are as they are and can understand the logic. The federal government wants to reduce the amount of people living in poverty and extreme poverty by providing tax benefits and public assistance to compliment faith based and nonprofit outreach.
Still want more understanding about the generational nature of poverty, but these kinds of readings help paint a picture.
Still want more understanding about the generational nature of poverty, but these kinds of readings help paint a picture.
October 25, 2012
This writer's personal history allows him to provide an analysis stretching back to the emergence of USA's Great Society. He provides a liberal (along the lines of John Galbraith) perspective of poverty and its solutions. This is not unwelcome given the dominance of neoliberalism and the assault on modern welfare state.
January 30, 2013
This book should be read by everyone who has not "given up" on America. The premies that America is a country of second chances rang true for me. A late bloomer I was a poor achiever in high school but returned to community college at 25 and now have a DSW. We as a country need to continue to provide second chances to all citizens so that a living wage is available to all.
July 31, 2013
A short, but good analysis. As someone who was familiar with the basics, this book provided enough detail to make it interesting and informative while still capable of functioning as an introduction to U.S. poverty.
January 15, 2014
Edelman's examination of poverty in America is thorough, and shares some hopes as well as bleak reality. This is necessary reading for folks who want to address poverty with community and legislative change. Recommended for groups organizing their communities.
August 3, 2012
Straightforward. Clear. Explanatory. Prescriptive. A very useful book.
July 27, 2012
An important look at issues which cannot be swept under the rug: poverty, unemployment and the potential power of the people. I also recommend Mr. Edelman's interview with Bill Moyers.
December 31, 2012
Important and highly relevant
January 18, 2013
Had to turn this book back to the library. It had a good start, but I couldn't keep up the momentum. Oh well, on to other books!
June 19, 2013
Prof. Edelmen does an excellent job of isolating the seemingly intractable causes of poverty in the United States.
Read
July 31, 2014A brief introduction to poverty in America and what has worked well and what has failed in our fight against it. Well written but I found myself wanting a bit more substance. 2.9 Martinie glasses.
April 2, 2016
Examines the history of poverty in the U.S. and government policies to combat it, mostly from the 1960's to the present.
March 31, 2015
This book perfectly summarized the past
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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